The Importance of #TJDAY
How Power Rangers Fans United To Celebrate A Fan Favorite.
Its the morning of December 26th, the day after millions worldwide have indulged in the many activities of Christmas. Reality has set back in as things go back to “business as usual” for the masses. Christmas and all its festivities are now over, no longer a thought until the Holiday season returns next year.
But for Power Ranger fans, the celebrating isn’t over. December 26th has become the day to commemorate and give appreciation to a character (and actor) who deserves more credit than they’ve gotten since their debut in the long-standing TV series.
Who is this you might ask?
Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson, also known as T.J: The Red Turbo Ranger and Blue Space Ranger. Or “The First Black Leader of the Power Rangers” (Thanks Andre The Black Nerd).
Don’t know who this Iconic Character is or why/how this Holiday was created? Well, you’ve landed on the right article.
History:
Played by Selwyn Ward, T.J. was introduced to the Power Rangers Universe in the show’s 5th season: Power Rangers:Turbo. This was a crucial time in the history of the franchise. At this point, the massive following and popularity that came with the beginning seasons of Power Rangers (Mighty Morphin), had dwindled significantly. Ratings and Toy sales were shells of their former selves. To make matters worse, the Movie that was used to introduce this season (“Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie”) was a box office failure.
The end was in sight for this once-beloved TV series.
In an unexpected move mid-way through Power Rangers Turbo, two massive shifts took place. The then-current writing staff was replaced (with more competent ones). This also led to a major cast switch from the veteran cast (including Jason David Frank as Tommy) to a completely new cast.
“The Passing of The Torch” two-parter saw the seamless transition into a newer phase of what the Ranger Nation (Power Ranger Fans) calls the “Zordon Era”.
A team comprised of all fresh blood now took up the mantle of “Teenagers with Attitude”, which was one of two history-making moments for Power Rangers. The Second and most important was an African American male taking on the role of Red Ranger for the first time ever. Even as a little kid, this was groundbreaking, to say the least.
Since the second season of Mighty Morphin all the way to this point in Turbo, leadership switched from Jason (played by Austin St. John) to Tommy and stayed that way up until this period in Turbo. It was empowering for fans of Color to see someone who resembled them to be “the man” who was calling the shots for a Ranger team.
The Ranger Nation watched as T.J. proved why he was the perfect successor to Tommy Oliver as Red Ranger, quickly becoming a fan favorite. He was selfless, always willing to put himself in the midst of danger to help whoever was in need, whether it was to help his fellow Rangers or even the likes of the comical Bulk and Skull. No challenge was too big for him. We observed as he courageously leads his team through some of the worst trials of the season, more notably the season finale of Turbo. It's there he single-handedly took down a Megazord sized monster and fought valiantly against Divatox’s raid on the Command Center with the other rangers till their crushing climatic end.
The new writing staff, cast, and the decision to cast an African American as the new Red Ranger worked. Ratings improved for Power Rangers: Turbo, which led to one more Power Rangers Season being Green-lit: Power Rangers: In Space, which was deemed to be the final season of the franchise.
In Space is where T.J. would switch to being the Blue Ranger, with newcomer Andros being Red. His swift thinking, perseverance, and his ability to make tough decisions helped the Space team overcome the many obstacles Astronema threw their way. Despite the Blue Ranger color signaling second in Command, many in the Ranger Nation would argue that T.J. was the true leader of the bunch. I wholeheartedly agree.
Power Rangers: In Space pulled all the stops, effectively closing the Zordon era, which began at Mighty Morphin. Thanks to this, Power Rangers was able to escape termination as this season was a ratings hit. Much of this success was attributed to the budget, writing, and of course the cast. It's those accolades that awarded In Space its title of the “Series that Saved Power Rangers”. For T.J. fans, this season increased his stock due to how well he was written and utilized.
In Space was the last time we’d see T.J. on a regular basis. After a brief arc in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy, the next time we’d see T.J. was in the 10th-anniversary special: “Forever Red”, where he’d fight alongside other Red Rangers who came before and after him against the Machine Empire Remnants.
Seeing T.J. on screen with the likes of other fan-favorite Red’s was just one of the various ingredients that contributed to the success of this historic episode. It was clear that whatever T.J. was up to after we last saw him, it didn’t affect his charismatic attitude and fighting skills. In a 20 minute episode filled with ten Red Rangers (and egos), T.J. was able to hold his own among them and shine, thus solidifying his status as one of the greats of the Power Rangers Universe.
Similar to Tommy, T.J. would continue to answer the call when the newer era of Rangers faced threats too large for them to handle alone. Hell, among the fandom, its the consensus that he’s Tommy’s right-hand man/the first of the Rangers he contacts when its time for team up’s.
The Birth of #TDJAY
Youtuber/Power Rangers Actor, Black Nerd often used his massive platform to showcase his admiration and appreciation for Selwyn Ward. This definitely helped in getting the word out to Power Rangers fans who rightfully stopped watching the series before Turbo.
However, a sizable amount of T.J. fans felt more could be done to inform others about their favorite character. They watched as Modern Pop culture’s knowledge of the franchise was still centered around Mighty Morphin (a season that has aged poorly). They also watched as Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue’s Titanium Ranger (the first US-made Ranger…who barely did anything that entire season) was given his own celebratory day.
It was clear that T.J. and his well-deserved accolades were not getting the recognition they merited to a capacity of their liking. Something had to be done.
On December 26th 2016, several members of the Leg10n of Boom Podcast (which is composed primarily of individuals of color), began tweeting their admiration of T.J. and Selwyn Ward using the hashtag #TJDAY. What initially began as a joke quickly gained traction among other Power Ranger fans of all nationalities on Twitter. Soon the timeline was flooded with fans showing their admiration using videos, memes, and pictures. The tradition has continued since and the amount of participants continue to grow with each passing year.
#TJDAY caught the attention of Selwyn Ward in 2018 at Power Morphicon. That weekend is what made the Holiday official in the eyes of T.J. admirers. Morphicon Attendees (including myself) vividly recall Ward taking pleasure as fans showed off their #TJDAY tweets and him thanking them for their support. Power Morphicon 2020 is months away and soon older and newer #TJDAY participants will be able to show off their posts as they meet Selwyn Ward again or for the first time.
It goes without saying that Ward’s exceptional portrayal of T.J. and T.J.’s growth in the TV series, positively effected the Power Rangers franchise and fans. It was long overdue for this character, actor, and T.J.’s In-Story accomplishments to receive this kind of honor.
His introduction also showed that the Power Rangers Franchise wasn’t afraid to take the initiative and break racial barriers in Superhero media before It became such a hot topic in the genre as of late. His introduction also helped pave the way for future African American Red Rangers who too have become highly regarded among the Ranger Nation.
As one of the main pioneers behind #TJDAY, I’m happy and proud that this day has grown into what it is. Every year I look forward to pulling out my best memes, pictures, and videos to give thanks to this character that inspired me and is one of my role models. One of my favorite parts about this day is that newer fans who missed out on or skipped the seasons and episodes with T.J., get introduced to him via the posts and hopefully become encouraged to check them out.
If you, who’ve stumbled across this post didn’t know about T.J., I encourage you to do the same by watching said seasons (which are available on Netflix). I have no doubt you’ll soon understand why this Ranger is so special to us and that you’ll participate in this years #TJDAY celebration as well!
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